Snow Buntings

For four days now there has been a nice flock of 15 Snow Buntings on Great Yarmouth North Beach. In the Cemetary there were five Bramblings and c40 Blackbirds and a single Chiffchaff. For the Fungus buffs there are plenty of Waxcaps and lots of agaricales in the cem too

Waxwings

After c0 flew west over Sainsburys Great armouth this morning I managed to find one in Rowans at GY cemetary

Some Winter Visitors

The rest of Norfolk was heaving with birds of one sort or another but as usual Great Yarmouth missed out. The Great Yarmouth North Denes produced the first Snow Buntings of the winter, with a flock of 5 including many males just north of the Brittania Pier. Other than a few Skylarks and Mipits the DEnes was quite, a few Blue Tits and a Pair of Carrion crows were notable.

Continental migration again

Great walk on patch, 27 Med Gulls on GY Beach and several Redwings Continental Blackbirds and Song Thrushes incl

uding many Goldcrests

Cemetary Fungi

A good list of over 20 Fungi today including many Wax caps and Blewits and Puffballs

More Migration

The visit to the patch on Yarmouth North Denes and cemetary produced 9 Med Gulls on the beach, two Redwings on the cem and a Firecrest again in a roving Long tailed Tit Flock

Great Yarmouth Cemetary Firecrest

A fine Firecrest today in a hOlly by the chapel in the North Sector, followed by a single Brambling in a flock of c70 Chaffinches. I have found the best way to work this area is to walk slowly and look at every bird you see in the trees. It is a site that nees thorough searching

Ipswich

1st two days not much over the first three days, A Red Kite quite high over Portman Road was notable flying east on Tuesday. Holywells Park produced a single Pied Flycatcher, a family of Kestrels and a few overhead Swifts. Going to spen the next few days doing some urban botany

Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen..............

Go out in the midday sun. Phew what a scorcher We went to Herringfleet Hills TM46749811.on the North Suffolk Border to look for anything that we cam across. we saw a Miller Moth (Acronicta leporia resting on vegetation.

Muggy weather but autumn migration begins

As usual working my local patch when I heard a cetti's Warbler calling from the undergrowth by Kirkley Ham. I assume this is a wandering individual from the Suffolk Broads some three miles to the west or could be a male that has actually set up territory. I will keep listening for it and as I have really only started the patch up it will take some time to get used to the resident birds and passage migrants. There was a low tide at Lake Lothing by ASDA but it was holding a few BHG's but alas no passage waders. Despite full flowers on Buddlija davidii. Still no butterlies nectaring.

Sawflies and White Admirals

went to Waveney Forest Fritton TG4610 with Frank G and Matthew W. we saw a single White Admirals and a few Honeysuckle Sawflies Zaraea fasciata Lots of Odonata too like Aeshna cyanea and Aeshna grandis. here is the Honeysuckle sawfly

Honey Garlic, a rarity

Been back to Kirkley Fen to see if this unknown Allium had flowered. I was lucky enough to see many panicles drooping from the bulbils. It was soon evident I had found Nectaroscordum siculum (Honey Garlic.) A lifer for me. It i slocated near to the pump house and as it flooded out recently I wonder if it was washed down to here from garden waste. Allotments are nearby.

Alder Galls

Found these Fungal Galls on young Alnus glutinosa Leaves on Kirkley Fen Today named as Taphrina tosquinetii an Acomycete Also a fine male Anax imperator (Emperor) patrolling above the water.

Early Morning Walk Kirkley Stream

Took a walk along the Kirkley stream this morning. I found a colony of Essex Skippers showing well he ID feature of the black tipped antenna

Beach walk

I returned to Pakefield / Kessingland Beach to add more to my WFS Diary and found Prickly saltwort. Salso kali. I met another botanist who told me of Sea Bindweed up at Gunton warren. It's a new site so will have a look in the morning for it. Also found lots of Sand Robber Flies not sure of species but will try and catch one during the week.

Suffolk broads Little Owl

Found the Little Owl today on marshes near Lowestoft. managed a few record shots. then walked along the beach from Kessingland to lowestoft ahd a full day out

Fruit Crop poor

This is supposed to be the time when the Rubus fruticosus (Bramble) is fruiting but this year is terrible. I did find Dewberry (Rubus caesius) in fruit along the River Wall along the River Waveney. Star plant today though was the Dipsacus fullonum (Teasel) Shown here. they flower from the middle slowly covering the heads. Although there was plenty of Buddlija davidii (Butterfly Bush) there was nothing lepidopteran nectaring. In fact the whole walk produced just two Whites.

Hot and Muggy

The day started chilly but my middday the sun came out and it was so hot and muggy. I was on the Suffolk broads and was soaked in sweat battling through the puddles. Great images of Black tailed skimmers

Frog watch

I have been watching photographing and counting breeding Common Frogs at Mousehold Norwich this week